kittycaterer | Ic inbox

I, uh--

[ He laughs, despite himself. ]

I had a short nap, yeah.

[ Always the sleepy one. Noctis takes the signal from Rosalind and has a seat. He accesses her desktop, going right to work. ]

I was meaning to contact you about the issues I had. Kinda just dawned on me today, honestly.

[ A pause, he looks to her. ]

You okay? Looks like something's bothering you.

I'm perfectly all right.

[She glances down at him, meeting his gaze, but waits until he's turned back to the computer to quietly add:]

. . . merely concerned for you.

[ Fussing with the way the program functions alongside Retrospec is a bit difficult, so this takes a little bit of time. Noctis carefully goes through Rosalind's settings, accessing the innermost parts of her operating system with ease.

At her reassurance, he only feels a little better until she turns the subject back on him. Likely leftover feelings from the conversation they had, and it's still heavy on his shoulders, too.

Speaking quietly and level-headed, Noctis shrugs his shoulders. ]

Not sure if that's old news or not. Everyone's concerned for me. You don't need to be.

[ He keeps his attention to the computer. Noctis is pretty open, for the most part. But with this? He isn't all that keen on opening up about his thoughts and feelings on what he saw. ]

I uh.

Don't mean that disrespectfully.

[Most certainly there'd be days when she reprimanded him for that bit of cheek. She'd never tolerated it back when he was a child, but then again, they'd never spoken about emotional matters like this.

Still. He's not a child anymore, and if he doesn't want her worrying, she'll keep it to herself.]

Who's everyone?

[ He types away at her keyboard, monotone, but he doesn't ignore the subject entirely. ]

You, Dad, Prompto.

[ Noctis leans forward, still focused on the screen. ]

Everyone since I was eight.

And it chafes.

[It isn't a question. Rosalind smiles thinly for just a few seconds, because oh, isn't this a familiar topic? She and Ardyn had just spoken on it.]

Pff.

[ Almost done, Noctis clicks a few things, closing out a few windows. ]

I'm... Getting there.

Being fine, I mean. It was a bad memory, maybe there's an explanation for it.

You're under no obligation to tell me, Noctis.

[Which is only the tiniest bit passive-aggressive, but she also means it.]

. . . but you're right. There is an explanation. And with more memories comes more information, and in time, understanding.

[ Noctis had certainly had his moments of petulance as a child, but he's far from being disrespectful towards Rosalind. He eventually sighs, not at all feeling right by any of this. Once he's finished, he leans back in her chair a minute, finally standing up. ]

Doesn't really make me any less horrified.

No, I would imagine not.

[A beat, and she nods towards her door.]

Come along. It's been a decade since we shared a meal. And distraction isn't such a bad idea in times like these.

[ A pretty good idea, considering that it at least gives him a chance to adjust to what he wants to say. He's not at all that great with talking, and Rosalind is probably one of the most well-spoken people he's ever met. He might be slightly intimidated at the prospect, but he follows nonetheless.

Honestly, being around her is the closest he'll get to being around his father. They're equally level-headed, and it reminds him a lot of when he'd go to her as a child. ]

Sure thing. Pretty starved.

I'll drive.

[ With that, he guides her to his car. A fancy sort of thing, clearly a gift from his father. It's a slick, black sport's car with a convertible top. Solid. But given how late it is, he keeps the top up.

Once they're in the road, there's a bit of silence, and Noctis sighs as they hit the first red light. ]

That uh...

Wasn't the only memory I got, by the way.

No?

[She glances over at him.]

Tell me what else.

Mm-mm

[ He taps at the steering wheel. ]

I fought a giant demon-lion called a Behemoth. Named Deadeye.

I had a giant sword and... Prompto was there.

[Ah. Rosalind's eyes widen, and she stares over at Noctis for a long few seconds.]

. . . anyone else?

[Are they all from the same place, then? Ardyn and Prompto and Noctis? But why them? What makes them different? Rosalind's fingers curl and uncurl against her lap.]

[ He flips on his signal for a left turn, careful on the road. Noctis nods. ]

Yeah, but I couldn't really make them out. There were two other guys.

Prompto was the only one I could see clearly. I heard someone calling out for him, but I couldn't put the voice to a face.

[But no Ardyn. Rosalind wonders if she ought to bring him up, but . . . no. Let Prompto do that. She doesn't even know if Noctis knows Ardyn, and there's no sense in scaring him pointlessly. This is enough.]

A sword sounds anachronistic, especially since-- didn't Prompto have a gun?

[He damn well did, she knows that for a fact.]

[ Noctis offers nothing more than a mere shrug to the thought of timelines wherever that memory came from. He flips on his signal, coming close to their destination. ]

I had the same exact thought.

[ He exhales a short laugh. ]

Yeah. Has a gun. In his backpack.

All the time now, apparently.

[ BROUGHT IT TO HIS HOUSE. ]

He's carrying it around?

[Good grief. Rosalind pulls a face, not particularly pleased by that thought.]

. . . well. Guns and swords aside: is it any comfort to have seen him in your memories?

[It's an honest question. She doesn't know if she'd be terrified or relieved to see, say, Fawkes with her other self.]

[ Noctis scrunches his nose in agreement-- He's not exactly a huge fan of the gun either, but it had/has a purpose, he guesses. Noctis turns in to the parking lot of the restaurant. ]

It's... Unloaded, I guess?

[ He's buying the guy a gun safe. There's just no way he'll settle with that thing rattling around in his best friend's backpack like that.

He parks the car, taking a second to find the answer to Rosalind's question. ]

Actually?

... Yeah. But it's sort of overridden by that other memory with the Crystal.

I didn't get a good feeling about it. It seemed... I don't know, critical? I might as well have been touching a bomb strong enough to detonate the world or something.

So what happens to him, then? You know?

[She nods. She can understand that feeling, god knows: not because she's seen anyone in her memories, but because she's been caught up in a confusion of grief and fear for the man she keeps seeing within them.]

Come on.

[She has no answer for his question, and so she nods towards the restaurant.]

I'll even pay, if you promise to get something mildly healthy. And you can tell me more about the Behemoth you two fought.

[ Yeah, probably best to deviate away from the bad thoughts. That's been a challenge since Rosalind reached out to him. Noctis wears a weak little smile for her, nodding in turn as he unbuckles his seat belt. ]

Deal.

[ Except, he's going to do the bare minimum and order something that he can pick the vegetables out of. Don't underestimate the extent of his aversion.

Noctis gets out of the car, swinging around to open the door for Rosalind. ]

Ready?

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